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Now I love the core beliefs article it has helped me run my greyhawk campaigns so much easier, but I would like to see some of the darker sides of the greyhawk pantheon. It would give some really cool insights plus it could really help me flesh out my villians. I want to see one on Nerull just so I can kinda get more ideas about the god of death. He's a major deity and yet I see very little info on him. Not like Vecna (whom I also love) who gets a lot of material on him. Anyone else have any cool ideas for dark deities featured in core beliefs?
Well, Gruumsh would have universal usability, although the 2nd Ed. Monster Mythology covers the non-human gods pretty good. I would like Hextor (and Heironeous) to be covered, possibly even together, as they are half-brothers (which would necessitate a few thoughts on the pantheon behind them).
Nerull is a very good choice, I think. A death god is an important role to be filled within any polytheistic religion. In my campaign, I defined him as being originally a neutral god representing the eternal cycle of life and death, who changed slowly over time (millenia) to become the Grim Reaper he is portrayed as today.
Specific to the Greyhawk setting, Nerull, Pelor and Beory (a neutral nature deity) are gods originally honored by the indigenious flan people. Pelor is NG, Beory TN and Nerull NE, all are greater gods, so there should be some relationship between them. I had an idea of these three being siblings, Nerull perhaps being originally a moon god (Pelor has a sun aspect, and Beory is the Oerth Mother). All three could (or could have at a time) sponsor druids, so you could construct NG druids of Pelor, "classic" TN druids of Beory, and NE druids of Nerull. In case of Pelor and Nerull, these would exist in far-off areas, as they are clinging to ages-old interpretations of their respective faiths, but could make for interesting NPCs and stories.
Enough rambling for now,
Stefan
Specific to the Greyhawk setting, Nerull, Pelor and Beory (a neutral nature deity) are gods originally honored by the indigenious flan people. Pelor is NG, Beory TN and Nerull NE, all are greater gods, so there should be some relationship between them. I had an idea of these three being siblings, Nerull perhaps being originally a moon god (Pelor has a sun aspect, and Beory is the Oerth Mother). All three could (or could have at a time) sponsor druids, so you could construct NG druids of Pelor, "classic" TN druids of Beory, and NE druids of Nerull. In case of Pelor and Nerull, these would exist in far-off areas, as they are clinging to ages-old interpretations of their respective faiths, but could make for interesting NPCs and stories.
I think Beory has been depicted as Pelor and Nerull's mother in the past. A sort of "mother of all."
There was some intimation that Nerull was more neutral, but some event or choice turned him to evil. Which necessitated Pelor turning to good to keep the balance. The focus on balance reveals an underlying continuity with the theme of a druidic balance of nature. As does the NG-NE axis, both of which are allowed for druids.
I think there is also a mortal man raised to demigodhood who was Beory's lover. I'm not sure how other Flan gods fit in with the whole underlying "druidic" mythos. Though since the Flan are the original human inhabitants of the area (and evn predate the demihumans according to Gygax!), it explains why the druidism of the Flan is called the Old Faith...
But when and how did Pelor, Nerull, et al. actually start having clerics?
Of course, all this could come crashing down with the new article on Pelor...
Huummmmm... flan people... flan gods... mmmmmm... all with a nice syrup... mmmmm... spanish desserts...
from my own campaign - on the relationship between Pelor, Nerull and Beory (I used very generic terms for ease of use):
Before there was time, there were but three beings. One being was Light, one was Darkness... and living in between them was Life.
The three never acknowledged each other's existence until, simultaneously, Light and Darkness noticed Life in between them. Life was but a thin being that seperated Light and Darkness.
Light immediately fell in love with the beauty of Life and began to court - then nurture her upon her acceptance of Light. She grew and prospered and became stronger through Light's love.
Darkness, on the other hand, immediately hated Life - he found her useless and in the way of his goals of attacking and destroying Light. Darkness held no jealousy at all - his spite was nothing but contempt for Light. Life was so effective at standing between Darkness and Light that Darkness was forced to attack her by chipping away one aspect at a time.
This struggle turned into eternal war when Light, discovering what Life was doing in his defense, stood up and fought back against Darkness. This war waged on many levels and in varying degrees of ferocity, both Light and Darkness raising armies to do battle - but soon, Light forgot the love he held with Life. Though the basis of this love was still there, a void grew between them... one filled with many others who came to Life. She, attacked by Darkness and scorned by Light, started standing for herself and in time created her own minions to serve her.
From this came all the beings: goodly races and evil races, demons and devils and archons, dragon kind and their pantheon, the aberrations who are said to have answered the call of battle from another existence, the fey and their kin... and the other gods themselves.
Now I love the core beliefs article it has helped me run my greyhawk campaigns so much easier, but I would like to see some of the darker sides of the greyhawk pantheon. It would give some really cool insights plus it could really help me flesh out my villians. I want to see one on Nerull just so I can kinda get more ideas about the god of death. He's a major deity and yet I see very little info on him. Not like Vecna (whom I also love) who gets a lot of material on him. Anyone else have any cool ideas for dark deities featured in core beliefs?
Core Beliefs are my favourite Dragon articles, I wish they would publish them more frequently. I would like to see them cover Heironeous/Hextor or even Vecna next, as those deities play an important role IMC. I realize that Vecna has received more than his fair share of coverage (mostly in 2e sources), but still, I welcome additional ideas on his priesthood, rituals, holy days, etc. That having been said, I certainly would not be upset if Nerull (or Gruumsh) were covered next!
Any sneak preview on when the Heironeous and Hextor issues are due? It would make a cool double feature issue.